Modernity meets history. A Kurdish girl in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq wears traditional clothes while peeking out from a sunroof. (photo: Ahmed Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)

On this first day of spring, Persian families around the world are greeting each other with “Sal-e No Mobarak!” and “Happy New Year!” in celebration of the holiday of Nowruz, a day of beginnings. Translated as “new day,” the solar-based holiday marks the first day of the first year of the Bahá’í calendar and the falls on the vernal equinox.

“Everyone lines up, and, one by one, each person jumps over the piles and sings, ‘zardi-ye-man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man,’ the special song means ‘my yellowness is yours, your redness is mine.’ Iranians believe, people give pain and negativities to the fire, and receive the warmth, the health and strength from the fire.”

Iranians shop for Nowruz at a market in Tehran. (photo: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)

The traditional haft-seen table is an important part of Nowruz celebrations. Iranians prepare these settings in their homes by gathering seven items that start with the letter “s,” which have positive meanings: the spice sumac for sunrise, seeb (apples) for beauty, and sir (garlic) for health, among others.